Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn - Echo In The Valley

'Echo in the Valley' is the follow up to B�la Fleck and Abigail Washburn's acclaimed, self-titled debut that earned the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. This time around, the mission was to take their double banjo combination of three-finger and clawhammer styles to the next level, says B�la.

The results are fascinating, especially considering their strict rules for recording: all sounds must be created by the two of them, the only instruments used are banjos, and they must be able to perform every recorded song live.

Co-written by Fleck and Washburn with wild re-imaginings of Appalachian music, 'Echo in the Valley' is a reflection of the times, from the emphatic mantra Don't Let It Bring You Down to Come All You Coal Miners, written from the point of view of coal miner advocate Sarah Ogan Gunning. The duo's front-porch, minimalist aesthetic includes seven banjos between them, from B�la's 1937 Gibson Mastertone to a banjo ukulele and a massive, restored 1905 upright banjo bass.

With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America's rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, 'Echo in the Valley' is a wildly innovative and beautiful body of art.